Around the country, more than 40,000 pets on average die from smoke inhalation. A local company is making a big difference in the effort to change that.

Invisible Fence of the Heartland donated four new equipment kits to the Papillion Fire Department Monday.

"We all know that pets are really a family member,” said Papillion Fire Chief Bill Bowes said. “And while we are primarily concerned with human life and the conservation of property when it comes to a fire, that pet lives are just as important to a family as anything else. And anything we can do to help a pet is going to be great."

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"What we got here are pet oxygen masks," said Brett Fickler, with Invisible Fence of the Heartland, as he showed off the device. "The specific design of it allows the dog's nose to go in, the snout's in there, it make's that perfect seal so that the oxygen isn't just blowing past where it needs to go if you had a flat mask.

And they come in different sizes for different sizes of dogs.

“So you've got the large, the medium, and the small, depending on the dog’s snout size and they are all much more efficient than a human mask," Fickler said.

That means the pet receives more of the lifesaving oxygen it needs. First responders are seeing results.

"As far as we know, there's been 125 saves around the world," Fickler said.

More than 12,000 kits have been donated around the United States and Canada. The ultimate goal is to get a kit in every fire station around the country.